Saint Vitus Bar in Greenpoint Brooklyn has been hosting a fair majority of the shows I've been attending, lately. They always seem to have the best line-ups for less mainstream acts, Shining being no exception. I have wanted to see this band since I first heard 2010's "Blackjazz" in its album cycle. Especially after hearing the frontman's contribution to Ihsahn's records, "After," and "Eremita."

Opening the show were two locals, [URL="http://cryptodira.bandcamp.com/"]Cryptodira[/URL], who play a sort of mesh between post-prog with jazzier sections reminiscent of early Cynic, arranged with a BTBAM mindset, and [URL="http://alekhinesgun.bandcamp.com/"]Alekhine's Gun[/URL], who are a pretty powerful death metal band that wears their influences proudly, but still stand out in a genre of repeats. Seriously, if you haven't heard of either of these bands, check them out.

I don't know AG's songs all that well, but, for whomever is interested, Cryptodira's set was as follows:

Birth of a King
Either Fly or Fall Faster
New Song
Allies to Ignorance

Of all the videos of their live performances (outside of a recent playthrough of their most up-to-date single "I Won't Forget," on a pile of rubble), I don't think I've ever seen them perform on a smaller scale stage. I was a little worried that the same effect of their live shows would be lost in a place as small as Saint Vitus. But, a band as technically proficient as Shining can perform flawlessly without a grand scale stage and light show. At the end of the day, it's all about the music.

And knowing they're a band that absolutely MUST be precise and on point with all of their songs, live, it makes their jams in the middle and ends of certain songs that much more striking. The fact that they can all just start going crazy in the middle of the chaos of their music and still be on point and get right back in time with each other at the moment of the songs they leave off is just that much more incredible.

See them if you have the chance, there's no telling when or even IF these guys will ever be back.

I Won't Forget
Blackjazz Rebels
Fisheye
My Dying Drive
The One Inside
The Red Room
The Hurting Game
How Your Story Ends
The Madness and the Damage Done
Healter Skelter
21st Century Schizoid Man

the last 2 songs were written on the set, but never played:

Winterreise
Exit Sun

jhdeity

09-18-2013 12:12 PM

Would kill to see them live

Natrlhi

09-19-2013 01:17 AM

(1) I believe one of the members of Cryptodira used to post on here.
(2) Ditto what jhdeity said. You lucky NYC fucks.

You guys know they're on tour in America, right? This wasn't just some off date...

MPF

09-19-2013 08:24 AM

[QUOTE=Polock91;541602]You guys know they're on tour in America, right? This wasn't just some off date...[/QUOTE]

They are doing just a few shows in America, not near everyone here.

Polock91

09-19-2013 11:21 AM

[QUOTE=MPF;541609]They are doing just a few shows in America, not near everyone here.[/QUOTE]

I mean... If Natrlhi can handle a ride out to Chicago from Cleveland, it's not THAT far off...... it's only like.... 6 hours... without traffic.... lol

Natrlhi

09-22-2013 08:53 AM

[QUOTE=Polock91;541621]I mean... If Natrlhi can handle a ride out to Chicago from Cleveland, it's not THAT far off...... it's only like.... 6 hours... without traffic.... lol[/QUOTE]Yeah, but timing has a lot to do with those road trips. For example, my wife's family is from the Chicagoland area, so sometimes I can convince her to visit them and I'll go see a show while we're there. The longest road trip I've ever made just to see a show (aside from MDF) is about three hours to Detroit, which I've done for Burst, Baroness and Meshuggah.

Anyway, MPF is right. This is / was a very limited tour and none of the dates worked out for me. Dammit. :bouville: